The Spark of Joy

How did it feel to return to work after the festive season? Have you been happy to be back? Excited about the tasks waiting for you? Seeing your opportunities for growth and development? Or did you rather quarrel with the assignments and obligations waiting for you? Thinking about a change or even quitting? Wishing the new year will bring more satisfaction, inspiration and fulfilment into your life? Maybe you started 2023 with some New Year’s resolutions – and now, on day 10, they already seem to fade?

The ending of an old and beginning of a new era like a new year always makes me think and reflect, and perhaps this is the same for you. It is like opening a new book full of blank pages, just waiting to be filled with new stories, thoughts, reflections, inspiration, experiences, feelings, moments, pictures – all created by ourselves. We are the authors holding the pen to write our personal 2023 book, so how does it look like? What and how do we write or draw or otherwise create and capture in that book?

For me, this time of the year and its blank pages let me feel the power of creation we have. Once we realize that we do not have to wait for things to change, but can take the reins, leave our passive role and start taking actions, our stories unfold and the pages of our personal book are filling up with whatever we want them to tell. The choice is ours: Do we create a story of energy, vitality, kindness, connectedness and joy or is it about routine, worries, concerns, limitations, stress and doubts?

Probably, at the end of this year, our book contains pages with all of these elements. To fine-tune the dose, however, I have decided to set an intention for my 2023 book: JOY. This year shall be a year of joy for me and the people around me, and the majority of the pages shall be filled with joy!

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Why is joy important?

Joy is one of the foundations of life. Ideally, there is a sense of joy in everything we do. If we do not experience joy in our life, what’s the point? Joy is a spark, which lights growth and vitality. It helps us set and reach our goals, make decisions, overcome obstacles, and it supports our commitment to follow our path. It is a grounding root and a great guide for the choices we make.

If we are engaged with what we are doing, we live in greater harmony and inner peace. This is contagious and brings joy to ourselves and others. It brightens our days and lights up our own little world around us.

Where to start?

To experience and spread joy, it is inevitable that we find out what brings us joy, what we really love to do, and what it is which hinders us on our way to achieve it.

We can start writing our own story of joy by asking ourselves a couple of questions:

• What lights up my heart? What makes me smile?
• Which activities make me feel energized? And when do I feel tired?
• What are the things I really enjoy? When do I forget the time and space around me?
• What are my talents and strengths and which ones do I really like? Which ones can I use to serve others?
• What would I like to banish from my life?

These starting points can already fill a couple of pages in our 2023 book and help us gain clarity about our sources of joy. And then, in a next step, we can start asking ourselves how we can give them more space in our life, what may stand in our way and what we can do to overcome those hurdles.

Don’t wait!

A couple of years back, when I was not very happy with my work and my workplace, I have opened myself up to these questions (and some more). I was at a point where I was sure that life has more to offer than the hamster wheel I was running in, and I wanted to bring back joy and passion into my life. Looking back to those days, I am incredibly grateful that I started this journey and took some decisions for a much more joyful, passionate life!

Some of you know that one of my personal elements of joy are snowflakes. I simply love the white, fluffy stuff, and it is still a miracle for me that each single one of them is unique, that no flake is like the other. How wonderful is that?

Snowflakes have been one of the reasons why I moved to Switzerland. I knew I want to have a proper winter season, be on skis and in the midst of impressive nature – and here I am!

And being a passionate snow person talking about joy, I am so happy that I decided to add another feature to my “usual” coaching work: For a couple of weeks during the winter season, I am also working as a ski instructor in the Swiss Alps – which is a wonderful add-on and broadens my coaching horizon and perspective. I can see immediate results, which is very rewarding. I receive direct feedback about what works and what doesn’t, how I can help my clients (aged 3 to 99) overcome anxiety or self-doubt and boost their confidence, how we can work on their techniques to become better skiers, which tools and exercises they like and how we can increase their joyfulness. And all of this I can do in the nature you see on the photo above, surrounded by several 4000+ meter high mountains – how could I not LOVE this workplace?

So – when are you going to start? When are you ready to make some tweaks and changes, which make you jump out of bed in the morning because you simply love what you are doing? Because you really like your work and the opportunities and learnings it brings to you? Because you don’t have to go to work, but choose to do so? Because you enjoy life and like being contagious, sharing your joy with others?

For those who are up for a very unique coaching experience, please come and meet me in the Alps for a couple of days! I offer packages for your very special experience in this incredible nature, and you will spend days up there which you will never forget, I promise! Just comment “ME” or send me a DM and I will come back to you!

I truly wish you and your loved ones a joyful, inspiring, happy and healthy year 2023 – and I am very excited to hear about the stories you write into your 2023 book! ?

And if you feel you just need a little nudge to start your journey of joy, simply book your complimentary call and have a virtual coffee with me, I love to learn more about you! Grab your free slot here: https://calendly.com/bm-bluemountain/discovery-call and have a chat with me.

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For those of you who don’t know me that well (yet):

I am Brigitte, leadership and career coach, personal developer, ski instructor, ex-lawyer, writer and mentor. I am passionate about bridging the gap between your status quo and the place you want to be. Let me be your guide and help you design and create a system and environment, which enables you to live and work with passion and joyful success!